FALUN GONG PROTEST: Four Falun Gong practitioners protested in front of the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel on Thursday following the arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao. Lifang Ge, left, and Furong Ai of Shanghai were talked to by security after protesting the persecution of fellow practitioners in China. About 50 members of the religious movement are in Hono-lulu to protest during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation sessions.

Hawaii company, Boeing to team on biofuel plan

Hawaii BioEnergy and the Boeing Co. signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday night to collaborate on biofuel development in Hawaii.

With U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye looking on, Hawaii BioEnergy Chairman Warren Haruki and Billy Glover, vice president of environment and aviation policy for Boeing, signed a pact in which they agreed that the two companies would look at regional feedstocks that can be grown locally, then harvested and processed into aviation jet fuel.

They also agreed to look at supporting technologies that can be used to process biofuels for aviation.

"This is a big deal for not only Hawaii, but the nation," Inouye said.

Glover was in Hawaii for the APEC CEO Summit.

Obama greeting to be aired on Olelo channels

Several APEC events will be televised on Olelo Community Media's channels 49 and 54 on Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

The schedule thus far includes President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greeting delegates at the APEC Economic Leaders' dinner Saturday from 6:15 to 7 p.m.

Sunday's coverage will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the 18th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and include the APEC spouses' luncheon. It concludes with the North American Leaders' Summit.

The APEC coverage schedule, to be updated through Monday, can be viewed at www.olelo.org/APEC. The video will be archived for later on-demand viewing at olelo.org.

Librarian at UH to receive medal from Russians

A University of Hawaii-Manoa librarian will be awarded the Medal of Pushkin from the Russian government today.

Patricia Ann Polansky will be recognized for great contributions to the study and preservation of Russia's cultural heritage or the promotion of cultural exchange.

Polansky has served as Russian bibliographer for the Northeast Asia Collection at UH's Hamilton Library since 1970. From 1988 to 1992 she also served as director of the Center for Russia in Asia in the university's School of Pacific and Asian Studies.

PROTOCOL

Making points

A sampling of protocol tips has been shared during cultural training sessions held throughout the community for this week's APEC summit. Here's one:

» Care should be given to use both hands when passing items to Hawaii's visitors from Vietnam, who are staying at the Kahala Hotel & Resort. Whole hands rather than fingers should be used to point out something to someone from Vietnam. Gifts for these visitors should be wrapped in colorful paper; however, Vietnamese visitors should never be given handkerchiefs, anything black, yellow flowers or chrysanthemums.

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